Strike across the street

ATTENTION: If you are looking for current info on the strike against the Kingsbridge Heights Nursing Home please go to www.fipna.orgÂ

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As of Wednesday last week the Nursing Home workers across the street from my house went on strike. This strike is not for more money or something silly, but it is for health care benefits. The workers have been working without a contract for several years, but last last year the owner stopped paying all health care benefits for the workers. The union has been paying for the benefits for the last 6 months but cannot continue. The only alternative was to go on strike against the Nursing Home.

Why am I writing this? Well of course because it affects me (Dan I got that straight right? Affect/Effect). I am not so upset with the noise the strikers are making because they are being very considerate for their neighbors. They have stopped their noise by 7-8pm every night and have held off starting the noise till after 9am.

I am upset with the Nursing Home for what they decided was necessary in lighting the street at night. They have rented 5-6 emergency lights, the same type they use in construction on the side of a highway at night. It lights up everything including the private homes and the whole side of an apartment building. How can anyone sleep with this type of lighting? Not only that the noise these lights make is a constant drone since they are run by gasoline powered engines. Can this even be legal in a residential neighborhood? Have a look at these pictures…

The other big issue is look at the metal barricades the police department setup to keep the strikers penned in. I have no problem with that but why are they allowed to take away all parking on the street? It is hard enough to find parking on this one way residential street and now they have removed over 30 parking spaces? Is this even legal?